Article: One More Hill to Climb: A Veteran Fix for Toronto’s Rotation Gap

[Jesse Burrill]

Twenty-year MLB veteran Rich Hill is looking for a new team. Could the pitching-strapped Blue Jays be a fit? 

“Pitching keeps you in the games. Home runs win the game.” That's a quote from the late Earl Weaver, a long-time manager of the Baltimore Orioles and an esteemed broadcaster and author. Weaver saw a lot of baseball throughout his life, some good, some bad, but he was always good at developing pitchers, as during his managerial career, Orioles pitchers won six Cy Young Awards, and the O's had 22 20-game winners. This means that his team must have had a good mix of, as Weaver put it, "pitching and three-run homers." If that's the case, Earl Weaver would not be a fan of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays.

The three-run home run has been the primary issue. As of Thursday, the Jays have only managed to hit one three-run home run this season. They rank 25th in baseball in runs scored, and their home run total of 13 is ahead of only the Kansas City Royals for last in the league.

But this article isn't about that; this article is about the first point from the famous Weaver quote, “Pitching keeps you in games,” and exploring if the Blue Jays have enough to keep that going as the long season continues.

The Blue Jays made it known over the offseason that they needed some more starting pitching. That was evident when they signed Max Scherzer to a one-year $15.5 million deal at the end of January. Scherzer battled a thumb injury all throughout spring, and although he was able to make his first start of the season, he has yet to appear in a game since then. Yariel Rodríguez, who made 21 starts in 2024, seems to have found a home in the bullpen, and Easton Lucas, who had two very good starts, has had two terrible ones since and is now pitching down in Buffalo.

As things stand right now, the Blue Jays don't have a fifth starter in their rotation, taking advantage of the off days on the calendar to pitch their four healthy starters on regular rest for the time being. But eventually, the team is going to need a fifth starter again.

Jays Centre managing editor Leo Morgenstern wrote a nice article about the internal options the Blue Jays have, but Jake Bloss has been inconsistent in Triple-A, and while Eric Lauer has had moments of big league success, he currently has a 5.68 ERA in his 19 innings pitched in Buffalo. There are names to consider, but the next best option might be one that is currently not in the organization.

The Blue Jays are in an interesting spot, as they have both Alek Manoah and Ricky Tiedemann returning from Tommy John surgery, and they will likely want to get a look at what both players look like at the end of the season. Assuming Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, Kevin Gausman and Bowden Francis all stay healthy and effective, the Blue Jays really only need an extra arm until one of Scherzer, Manoah or Tiedemann shows they're ready to join the rotation. The smart choice of action may be to find someone outside of the organization to fill that role, and if the Blue Jays choose to go that route, Rich Hill might be the best choice to do that.

Rich Hill (a.k.a. Dick Mountain) isnt a perfect pitcher. He’s 45 years old, and with that comes a lot of the age-related skill changes you would expect; his fastball averaged just 86.3 mph last season. Still, the Blue Jays have seen quite recently that pitchers can have success with a low velocity. Just look at Ryan Yarbrough last season.

The potential isn't exciting. It's hard to imagine a player at the age of 35 getting better, much less so at 45, but Hill has indicated he wants to pitch again this seasonm and according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, one AL East team (that is notably not the Boston Red Sox) has shown interest in the left-hander.

You don't have to squint too hard to see where the fit would be on the Blue Jays. The team has shown an interest in older veteran players on short-term deals (Scherzer, Justin Turner, and Brandon Belt all come to mind), and the veteran southpaw would surely be okay with a short-term contract.

If that is the case, Hill would then join Kelly Johnson and Steve Pearce as the only players in MLB history to appear for all five AL-East teams, which Immaculate Grid players will love.

But on the field, it may be more than just a feel-good story. Hill only appeared in the big leagues for four games for the Red Sox in 2024, but he did throw in November for the WBSC Premier12 tournament in Japan and didn't allow an earned run over the 10 ⅓ innings he threw in the tournament.

The Blue Jays don't need anything special from Hill, just good quality starting pitching to hold them over until the reinforcements arrive. They need someone who has the ability to keep them in ballgames until the offence can figure it out. That's something even Earl Weaver could appreciate.

View full article

[Spanky99]

No thanks.... 😜

[jaysblue]

3 hours ago, Spanky99 said:

No thanks.... 😜

He's available in the LOD

[Spanky99]

3 hours ago, jaysblue said:

He's available in the LOD